A place to grow – Yum Yum Hill Farm

 

The aroma of chicken dumplings and apple pie emanates from the kitchen. Peals of laughter ring throughout the meeting space. Children run and play, weaving in and out amongst the adults engaged in conversation with other like-hearted spirits. The farmhouse comes to life with the energy of those gathered for One Heart celebrations.

One Heart is grateful to Marilyn and Jeffrey Froh for providing the space that makes these community events possible. Currently, One Heart hosts quarterly gatherings honoring and acknowledging the change of season. New events – such as a wellness fair and learning opportunities for children – are being planned for the future.

The farmhouse on Yum Yum Hill Road has nurtured three generations of Marilyn’s family. From her paternal grandparents the Ringhams (Ringheim in the old Norwegian), the farm passed to Marilyn’s parents, who raised eight children in the three-bedroom farmhouse, then to Marilyn and Jeffrey.

The house stood empty for several years after Marilyn’s parents passed, until 2010 when Marilyn and Jeffrey leased it to One Heart for five years. “We decided to give them a lease to help give them a start – a foundation for their organization,” says Marilyn.

The 88-acre farmstead in the town of Merrimac sits in the Baraboo bluffs, less than a mile from Devils Head Ski Resort. The land drew Marilyn’s grandparents to relocate from South Dakota in the early 1930s, supporting them and allowing them to set down roots in the area. They purchased the farm in 1938.

Marilyn’s grandmother loved gardening. She planted many of the trees in the yard and the rosebush by the old outhouse. “There are still things growing here that she planted,” says Marilyn. “She had a real love for trees. They didn’t have many out on the prairie where they lived before coming here.”

That grounded energy matched what One Heart was looking for in their first physical location.

“The land and the trees allow us to get really rooted in our mission of what we want to do,” says CaSandra May, founder and president of One Heart. “Yum Yum Hill Farm gives us a strong foundation and a structure to hold the energy. We are so glad to have this space for the community.”

Both the farmhouse and the outdoor space play a role in the quarterly celebrations hosted on the spring and fall equinox and summer and winter solstice. An outdoor fire pit was added for the winter solstice celebration in 2011. Hiking trails leading up the hill are mowed and tended. A community garden and a walking labyrinth will be added in 2012. (One Heart is looking for a volunteer to head up the labyrinth project. Please let us know if you’d like to help.)

The two-story farmhouse provides a community gathering space, including a fully equipped kitchen. A lending library resides in a small bedroom on the main floor. Another bedroom provides a place for meditation with comfortable chairs and cushions. Yoga classes will begin in 2012.

In spring of 2011, over thirty volunteers helped with remodeling the house and preparing the grounds for the beginning of One Heart. 

“The farmhouse is coming back to life again,” says Marilyn. “A home is a home because of the people in it. Otherwise, it’s just a house. Although One Heart is an organization, they’re making it a home again.”

The farm has a history of soothing those in need. Marilyn came home to grieve the death of her first husband two decades ago. “The farm and the land would draw me,” she says. “I would walk up the hill and sit out in the woods to heal.” And likewise, in 1998, Jeffrey mourned his son’s passing by sitting in the same woods.

When Marilyn’s grandparents moved here in the 1930s, they left behind a young daughter buried on the South Dakota plains. Their relocation was a new beginning for the family, drawn to the energy of the Baraboo Hills. In later years, Marilyn’s grandparents took in older people from the area who needed physical or financial assistance, providing a comfortable environment for them to live.

“The rich history provides a healing energy that really draws people,” says CaSandra.

When Marilyn and Jeffrey purchased the farm from her parents, they realized it was meant to be shared. “Knowing how healing the land is, it needed to be opened to others,” she says.

And so it is.